


and i got neighbors, they're more like strangers

by dankobah



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Slice of Life, small mention of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 19:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17269562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dankobah/pseuds/dankobah
Summary: Ben isn’t excellent at communicating, especially with the attractive opposite sex.  Right now is no exception, wanting to shuffle over to her and compliment the sequined mini dress or the dusting of avant-garde pink glitter on her collarbones.  Even the fresh tattoo of the constellation of Orion that sits on the back of her neck would suffice for a conversation starter.Instead, he’s a loser against the wall at prom and watching the dreamy cheerleader twirl around the floor with everyone but him.





	and i got neighbors, they're more like strangers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Poppi Willow (Poppi_Willow)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poppi_Willow/gifts).



They’re ten minutes from midnight and Ben really can’t remember how he got to staring at Rey across the room.

The apartment he shares with Poe is a shoebox in comparison to the penthouse digs he grew up in, high above Manhattan where no one could touch him or talk about him without consequence.  In contrary to then, he’s living in the Bronx and riding a bike with a reusable grocery bag. To top it off, there’s probably hand ground almond butter mingled with the groceries and there’s a lot of things that have changed over the years he's been alive.

Just this last year was a metamorphosis in its own, January bringing around three new people on their floor.  Only one immediately caught his eye, wheeling his bike into the lobby of the building and nearly colliding with the personification of a flame.

_“Watch where you’re going.”_

_He looks up, ready to rip into the tough flesh of who he thinks is the ever disapproving Holdo. It’s a girl instead, wearing a t-shirt and sweats and carrying a bundle of mail.  A beautiful girl, he comes to realize._

_“Sorry.”_

_Who let her into this building?  Is there anyone this cute in this building or is this a mirage of an oasis?  Would a false vision be wearing an NYU sweater?_

_“You should be.”_

_She walks past him to the stairwell, disappearing out of sight like a snap of the finger._

February became the month of figuring out who the girl was.  She could’ve been a house sitter or some quick sublet, or maybe even a longtime resident of the place.  Poe, who’s much better at anything social, figures it out just a day after Valentines Day.

_“Her name is Rey.”_

_Ben swears he doesn’t hear him right, shutting off the kitchen sink and tossing the dish brush into the bowl.  Then he leans back to look through the archway at him._

_“What?”_

_Poe keeps clicking the buttons on the Xbox controller, and Ben seriously begins to wish that his mother hadn’t been so generous to get them both a video game console this year.  “Her name is Rey; she works as a journalist at Banthafeed. I don’t think she likes it too much though-”_

_Ben clears his throat, unsure of what to do with this information._

_“You should talk to her.  I think she’d carry that conversation.”_

Ben isn’t excellent at communicating, especially with the attractive opposite sex.  Right now is no exception, wanting to shuffle over to her and compliment the sequined mini dress or the dusting of avant-garde pink glitter on her collarbones.  Even the fresh tattoo of the constellation of Orion that sits on the back of her neck would suffice for a conversation starter.

Instead, he’s a loser against the wall at prom and watching the dreamy cheerleader twirl around the floor with everyone but him.  It was a struggle to even say a single word to her in March, catching each other in the hallway of their floor with twin trash bags.

_“You must be Ben.”_

_His eyes whip up from the floor that he had been staring at while he shuffled down the hall.  Rey stands in front of him with the bag slung over her shoulder just like him._

_He hesitates.  “I’m Rey. Poe said he had a roommate, which I assume-”_

_He finishes for her, “Is me.  I’m Ben.” Falling in line with the manners his mother had taught him, he holds out his hand to shake.  Ben knows his ears are burning red hot beneath the soft shade of his dark hair._

_Her smaller one, with blue glitter polish on the nails, twines in his with a little shake._

Rey’s laughter is heard from here, Ben glancing at muted television that displays the Rockin’ New Years Eve countdown.  Nine minutes stand between them and 2019 and he’s hesitating on speaking to her like an idiot.

They are friends, shifting towards the real title in April.  Ben found himself with a lot more free time, laid off from his IT job at the New York Times.  Sometimes it still fucks with his head, how fast it all went down and how little unemployment had been offered to him upon severance.

Ben holes up when things like this happen.  Poe’s job as a photographer takes him all over, sometimes for extended stays overseas that last more than a week or two at a time.  Usually, Ben would’ve been happy and walking around the house in nothing but his boxers. Alternatively, he spent it holed up under the covers, curtains drawn and worried about his future.  He only got up to make a bowl of cereal or to shower every three days, but everything felt so hopeless and heavy that he could just go catatonic or sleep.

Poe seemed to realize something was wrong and employed his “someone check if Ben’s alive” tactic in the form of a pretty girl.

_“Your roommate called.”_

_Ben’s scratching along his stubble, barely dressed in a t-shirt and boxer briefs in comparison to her light yellow sundress and leather jacket.  There’s a tote bag over her shoulder, filled to the brim with god knows what. All he can see is the Monopoly box sticking out above the edge of the purse._

_The home visit would’ve been an awkward moment if he cared enough.  “Okay.”_

_Rey’s eyebrows furrow before she shoves past him, throwing her bag on the couch and beginning to clear off the messy coffee table._

_“And we’re playing Monopoly, and we’ll do this all week after work until Poe gets home.”_

Ben still wonders how much Poe had paid her to do something like that, but having someone come over at a predetermined time every single day helped pull him from the hole inch by inch.  

Her company lasted past the week, falling into a comfortable routine of watching a movie or playing video games for a few hours before she got back to her real life obligations.

It’s time for him to pull himself from his anxiety, puffing out his chest and swigging the last of his beer.  Tecate isn’t his first choice, but it works like a shot of liquid adrenaline in his veins and gets him to begin moving towards her.  The person she’s talking to gets him to stop short and hang to the wall in the living room now. Bodies still separate him from Rey, Rose, and Mitaka.

May had been the month of Ben’s first stint with red hot jealousy in regards to her.

_“I want to come home, mom.  Believe me; I have like forty things-”_

_The phone resting in the crook of his shoulder nearly drops as he skids to a stop, keys jingling in his hand.  Rey’s down the hall, leaning against the wall with someone who’s roughly the same height as her._

_Their lips press together, and Ben feels his heart drop like the snap of a bungee cord that’s supposed to stay intact._

They didn’t speak again until June, narrowly dodging her with job interviews and just doing everything in the dead of night.  New York was better in the summer and riding his bike became an outlet of escape when his head got too wrapped up in losing his friend to some second-rate short asshole.

Ben couldn’t hate him though, and it pissed him off to no end, sullen when Rey finally caved and showed up at his door.

_“What’s your fucking damage?”_

_The question takes him back, clenching down on the box of macaroni and cheese in his grip.  They’re the Spongebob shapes since Poe hates him and loves tapping on every nerve with piano fingers._

_“What do you mean?”  Ben plays dumb when he’s brooding, and she knows this, based on how she shoulders past him into his apartment.  She’s the disheveled one this time, too-big puppy pajama pants and ugg boots shuffling across the cheap laminate._

_“You don’t talk to me anymore.  You didn’t even text me back when I got locked out of my apartment the other day.”_

_Ben did feel horrible about ignoring that message at that moment, and he can’t help how he grimaces before walking to the kitchen.  The water is boiling, steam rising to cloud his vision as he tears the box open. “Did I do something wrong?”_

_His heart rips in two, at the crack in her voice or the sniffle that punctuates it.  Crying Rey is something he swore that he would never be responsible for. He looks over, stepping away from the stove.  His answer is a quiet, “No.”_

_He takes a deep breath before he continues, “It’s all me.  Do you want to watch a movie or something?”_

_She wipes the tears away with the heel of her hand while nodding.  “A Disney one?”_

_Everything inside of Ben wants to protest or veto, but her glassy hazel eyes break down his tightly packed walls._

_“Whatever you want.”_

Mitaka gets distracted by another person entering the party; someone Ben doesn’t know or care to remember.  He and Rey weren’t even a thing anymore, so fleeting after June that Ben had been happy that his presence vacated the building.

Rey left in July on a trip that he knew nothing about, at first.  Until she showed up on his doorstep again, suitcase still in her grip and tears flooding down her face.

_“I can’t find them.”_

_Her sobs break up each word into stuttering syllables, lower lip trembling and nose congested.  Ben can only stand there, dumbstruck, while Poe quietly begins to retreat into the loft space that he had made a home._

_A multitude of worries course through his head, but he starts with the most obvious one.  “Who?”_

_She opens her mouth to speak, but her voice cracks and he moves aside for her to barrel past him and to the empty couch.  Ben’s worried that there’s a murder scene in her apartment until, “My parents.”_

_They hadn’t discussed family much.  Ben doesn’t like talking about his dysfunctional and broken parents, separated for ten years now.  Rey had said even less, and Ben doesn’t push on things that are a hard spot._

_Now it’s time to push, only for him to understand what he’s wading in.  “Where’d you go?”_

_She makes a sound that's akin to a goose choking on a straw, snot smearing with a sheen across her knuckles.  “Portugal, where I was supposedly b-born. There’s no record of me anywhere. Ben, I don’t even know who I am-”_

_Her sobs turn into wails and her back hunches as she holds herself around her ribcage.  Ben, with little thought, is suddenly on the couch next to her and pulling her into his arms.  They’ve never been this close before, but everything else bypasses that thought._

_“Your name is Rey, and that’s all that matters to me and everyone else.  Not where you came from.”_

_Her head tucks into his chest and wetness soaks his shirt._

_“Only where you’ll go.”_

With Mitaka gone, his limbs finally move again as Rose also walks away to answer a phone call.  Ben likes Finn and Rose just fine but they would never click on a molecular level as he and Rey seemed to.  Maybe getting past the point of acquaintances would be one of his new year's resolutions.

He slides into the spot that Rose had occupied and Rey lights up further beneath the strobes that Poe had insisted on for the bash.  “I haven’t seen you all night! Where have you been?”

The solo cup in her hand holds a clear liquid that he can’t help but raise his eyebrows.  “It’s water. I'm responsible.” He can’t help his snort or the shift of his body towards her. Typically, they kept a foot between them at all times (unless she falls asleep on top of him during a movie).  Rey doesn’t tilt her body away and steps even closer to him, so she has to tilt her chin up to look at him. There’s a smudge of something black on her neck that he notices, licking his finger to swipe it away.

“Don’t bother.  It's from the garage.”

They had both gotten new jobs in August, while most would be going back to school.  Ben had stayed in the tech sector of things, managing to nab a job at the New York Stock Exchange.  Financial people don’t understand how to keep a ticker working. Rey quitting was the surprising thing, citing that Banthafeed didn’t make her happy anymore.  Cars did. Ben had never seen her so happy, covered in grease and grime every time she came to his place after work.

_“There’s no way you’re sitting on my couch with that much oil all over you.”_

_Rey’s rubbing her palms together as she gazes conspiratorially at the faded blue sectional.  There’s a dip where he usually sits and his knees come up higher than the coffee table, but it’s still a couch that doesn’t need to be ruined by the equivalent of a grubby child._

_“Rey.”_

_There’s warning in his tone, but it’s not enough to stop her quick dart to flop on the couch or his scramble to grab her._

They’re so close together and the world doesn’t matter.  “Five minutes to midnight.”

Ben only hums in response, looking back at the television.  Remove all the people, and it throws him back to September and Rey’s birthday.

_“I figured you’d want to celebrate despite just getting off.”_

_There had been a system outage that had tossed his entire day into a garbage disposal.  Ben was supposed to go to Rey’s birthday dinner to give her a new wrench set, but the stock exchange decided to break its neck for the millionth time.  He had planned to go home and crawl into bed like some sad asshole who had to stay late at work._

_But Rey stands in his dimmed living room, television glowing behind her with a cupcake in her hand._

_He’s speechless._

She clears her throat and looks back down at her cup, eyes flicking back up to meet his.  Ben feels like they’re the only people here, body relaxing against the wall.

“I like your dress.”

The sequins she’s wearing blooms October into his head, to a Halloween bar crawl that ended with Rey on his lap for the first time.

_“Ben!  You walk too fast!”_

_Her hiccups make him crack up, alcohol flowing free in his veins as he slows down on the sidewalk.  Rey’s platinum blonde wig is a bit lopsided and the heels are gone in opt of beat up white keds. Her dress shimmers beneath the neon lighting of the bar signs, glitter dusting along her cheekbones._

_“You make an excellent Elvira Hancock.”_

_She beams up at him before reaching for his hair.  “You make a magnificent “last-minute” kitty cat.” They both can’t contain their laughter and how tightly they hold each other’s hands._

_Or how they never let go._

She grins in the same way at him, as the countdown ticks to three.  Maybe there’s philosophy in starting good things in the new year.

Pretty things, like the one that looks up at him through her lashes.  “I like your...flannel. It’s a perfect look for you.” Ben can’t help but dress down for anything outside of work.  He’s tired of slacks and button-ups and would instead opt for lived-in.

Rey’s thumbs run along the buttons at the bottom of the shirt, but her perfume is the only thing reeling him in.  Citrus with a kiss of smoke, reeking of a mutually lonely November.

_His phone buzzes with a message as he looks upon the ocean, salty tang whipping around his hair and nostrils._

_Rey: have a happy thanksgiving, mr. west coast _🥰

_A picture is attached of a fireplace, presumably at the Tico family’s home.  Rey had invited him to go along, but he had opted for California and the company of his father._

_Ben looks at the vodka lemonade in his hand, liquor plentiful in these digs and on this holiday.  He snaps a picture of the glass and sends it back._

_Ben: you as well (and i miss you) _

“What do you want in 2019?”

They’re even closer now, clock ticking to two.  Ben has never been a one for goals or making things happen.  Right now, he only has one want for the next year, and she’s standing before him with sparkling diamond studs in her ears.

The earrings are in the shape of a car, custom made and paid for by his barely tapped trust fund.

_“You-”_

_She’s looking from him to the box over and over again, hand over her mouth.  Her hair teeters atop her head and the Christmas elf onesie looks comical next to the classic grace of the jewelry._

_“Are you sure?”  That stops his mug of coffee up short, staring at her over the rim._

_Her brows furrow, then she sniffles.  Throwing her arms around his leg, she clings onto him to shove her face into his knee._

_“This is the best Christmas ever.”_

Maybe it’s time to be entirely honest as a final act of 2018.

The clock hits a minute, and he steps even closer to her.  “I don’t know. I wanna see what happens.”

Her lower lip is between her teeth and he should be dead on the floor right now due to the quick and gasping thump of his heart.

“Me too.”

Thirty seconds now.

Ben can’t breathe anymore, dizzy with the thought of her.  “I think I know one thing though.”

He doesn’t answer, only staring at her and the flutter of her lashes while their bodies fully press together.  His arm drops across the small of her back to chain her there, keep her close to him.

Ten seconds now.

“I think I want to spend it with you.”

Nothing has ever felt so right in his body than in that moment, a wave of relaxation hitting his entire frame.  

Five seconds.

There’s no quick answer but a physical one.  “Can I kiss you?”

There’s never been such boldness in his words before, or an urgency that makes the remaining seconds feel like hammers.

“Please.”

The ball drops and screams erupt in the apartment, but no congratulations can be exchanged before his lips crash into hers.

Kissing her feels like second nature, even with the commotion and noise around them.  Her subtle hop onto the toes of his sneakers brings him back down to this orbit. Her lips are so soft beneath his, warm and inviting his tongue in.

They break apart to inhale needed air, unable to stop his hand from caressing along her cheek.  He wants to be somewhere else with her, a quieter and darker place where his hands can begin a tentative roam.

“Come to my room.”  It’s kissed into her lips to place emphasis.  

A pause before, “Yes please.”

**Author's Note:**

> i might be a day late on the new years train but this wouldn't have even happened without [Sunni](https://twitter.com/PoppiWillow) encouraging me in the dms. thank you babe, this wouldn't have happened without you and this was a sap-fest to write. 
> 
> i still have Christmas stuff i need to finish and put out but consider this to be a humble Happy New Year from my corner of the world, and well wishes for everyone reading this. you can find me on [ twitter](https://twitter.com/dankobah), and also [ tumblr](https://dankobah.tumblr.com). 
> 
> title from "come back to earth" by mac miller


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